When shipping becomes a matter of life or death

Karlsruhe/Mexico City, 10/10/2017. The Mexican Institute of Transportation (IMT) has asked PTV Group’s mobility experts for help after two major earthquakes. The result: Freight carriers that want to distribute or deliver important aid supplies can now use a special emergency route planner. The IMT gathers all relevant data on current collection and distribution centres, etc. which is then uploaded to PTV’s route planner and updated on a regular basis. The aim is to help drivers find the best route to the disaster zones in order to get all essential items out to the people in need as quickly as possible.

A call from the Mexican Ministry of Transport set the ball rolling. They asked Vicente Torres, the Managing Director of PTV América Latina in Mexico City, whether PTV could provide a route planner for freight transports to hard-hit areas at short notice. PTV immediately implemented a solution, providing free online access to its PTV Map&Guide internet for Mexico. The Ministry also collects and publishes data on special points of interest, such as collection centres, places where help is needed, shelters and any other relevant POI. This information is updated on a weekly basis and uploaded by PTV to the special version of its route planner.

Major challenges lie ahead

It is a challenging task to make sure that everyone has access to all relevant information, especially in a country as big as Mexico. Precisely these details help optimize the delivery of aid supplies and goods. A lot of rural areas, particularly very small towns and villages deep in the mountains, have been utterly devastated by the earthquakes. However, the aid comes from big cities. So the trucks taking the supplies to the disaster zones need the right routing information in order to get there quickly and safely.

Simple route planners are no option

Routing based on simple route planners will not be helpful for truck drivers as these tools include no truck attributes and truck-specific routing information. Drivers may even get into trouble if they are navigated along routes that are not suitable for freight vehicles. Torres concludes: “Now, more than ever, the delivery of goods is not a matter of economy, it is a matter of life and death.”